On November 29th 1941, to Peerce’s surprise, it was Ettore Panizza, with whom he had never worked before, who appeared in the orchestra pit instead of Gennaro Papi. Papi had collapsed and was found dead in his apartment shortly before the performance and out of consideration for their new colleague nobody had informed Peerce about the circumstances of this sudden change of conductors. "Just before my entry in the second act a colleague told me that he would not possibly be able to make it to my party after the performance because he was totally broken by Papi’s death." The public was instantly thrilled by the innate musicality of this dashing new tenor whose voice made up by far for what his appearance on stage may have lacked.